The Return of Fred Carrasco

By Joseph Tovares

In 1972, Fred Carrasco, an international heroin dealer, a known killer, escapes prison in Mexico and returns home to San Antonio. His return upends the city but captures the imagination of a generatio... more

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FAQs about The Return of Fred Carrasco:

How many episodes does The Return of Fred Carrasco have?

The podcast currently has 3 episodes available.

The Return of Fred Carrasco episodes:

January 24, 2026 The Return of Fred Carrasco, Episode 2 - Intersecting Lives
Fred Gomez Carrasco, an international heroin entrepreneur, and San Antonio Detective William "Big Bill" Weilbacher, given their line of work, are bound to cross paths.
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25min
January 15, 2026 The Return of Fred Carrasco, Episode 1 - Fred Comes Home
In 1972, Fred Carrasco, an international heroin merchant and a known killer, escapes from a Mexican prison and comes home to San Antonio. The cops can't seem to catch him, people turn up dead, and the local press runs with the story. Carrasco's return plunges the city into turmoil, and it captures the imagination of a generation of Mexican Americans—including me. My name is Joseph Tovares. Waiting for Fred is San Antonio detective William "Big Bill" Weilbacher, a cop feared on the streets as well as in the halls of police headquarters. Big Bill Weilbacher makes it his job to bring Carrasco in. He eventually corners Fred Carrasco and arrests him, but their battle is far from over. It continues until the very end of Carrasco's final act, a bloody 11-day prison siege. In conversation with journalists during the takeover, Carrasco accuses the detective of murder—and some believe him. More than 50 years later, questions remain unanswered.

...more
23min
December 12, 2025 The Return of Fred Carrasco - Preview Episode
In 1972 award-winning documentary producer Joseph Tovares is a 17-year-old high school senior in San Antonio. That fall, the international heroin merchant Fred Carrasco escapes prison in Mexico and returns home to San Antonio. His return upends the city, but it captures the imagination of a generation of young Mexican Americans...including Joseph.

Joseph spends most of the next fifty years on the east coast but returns to San Antonio. He speaks to former cops, criminal defense attorneys, reporters, everyday folks, and recovering heroin addicts, as well associates and relatives of Carrasco. Scholars provide context to better understand the story. With the help of a San Antonio-based journalist and a talented private investigator he uncovers a story that is a snapshot of San Antonio in the late 1960's and early 1970s.

The Team:

Joseph Tovares - Producer/Host

Lesley Norman - Executive

Noi Mahoney – Journalist and Consultant

Michelle Mondo –Private Investigator and Researcher

...more
6min

FAQs about The Return of Fred Carrasco:

How many episodes does The Return of Fred Carrasco have?

The podcast currently has 3 episodes available.